developing my photography in Moray & the Scottish Highlands

Category Archives: Historical

Archaeological excavations in the early 20th century showed that the village began between 500 and 200BC
(Historical detail copyright Historic Scotland)

Brochs are unique to Scotland. There are over 500 of them, the vast majority spread throughout the northern and western Highlands and the islands. Many of these tall circular towers stood alone, but in Orkney they were generally surrounded by sizeable villages. The broch village at Gurness is one of the most impressive. It has also been archaeologically excavated, thus providing a more vivid impression of life in the Scottish Iron Age than other comparable sites.
(Historical detail copyright Historic Scotland)

Three posts in March and only one April is hardly prolific blogging but I had a really good excuse – I got married earlier this month which you have probably worked out from the title. We had a very low key wedding as simple as we could make it, then dashed off to Orkney for a week. So I am afraid you will have to suffer a few Orkney views as I try to get back in to the swing of blogging. Many thanks for the positive response to my last sunset post I am glad you liked it.

Well firstly let me wish all my fellow bloggers a healthy and Happy New Year. I trust you were all able to spend it with your family or at least have some contact with them. This is a pretty typical shot of Loch Leven with Eilean Munde the famous burial ground clearly visible just below the Pap (the conical hill) – eilean Munde is a small island in Loch Leven, close to Ballachulish. It is the site of a chapel built by St. Fintan Mundus (also known as Saint Fintan Munnu), who travelled here from Iona in the 7th Century. The church was burnt in 1495 and rebuilt in the 16th Century. The last service in the church was held in July, 1653.[1] The island is the site of a graveyard once used by the Stewarts of Ballachulish, the MacDonalds of Glencoe and the Camerons of Callart. The clans shared the island and the maintenance of the graveyard, even when there was conflict between them.[2] (courtesy of Wikipedia).

Probably wont post again until nearer the 20th of the month as Mandy and I are off to Norway for a cruise so high hopes to catch some stunning Norwegian scenery – tbh I am struggling to contain the excitement. Anyway have a lovely and I look forward to viewing you fabulous images throughout the year.

This image can be purchased in a variety of mediums (Canvas/Print/Framed/Unframed) from this link

Experience the age-old craft of whisky making at first hand. Dating from 1786, much of the buildings have changed little, from the old cobbled courtyard to the distinctive double pagodas, making it one of the most picturesque distilleries in Scotland well I think so anyway.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Inspiration for the poem

Having read John McCrae’s poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ Moina Michael made a personal pledge to ‘keep the faith’. She felt compelled to make a note of this pledge and hastily scribbled down a response entitled “We Shall Keep the Faith” on the back of a used envelope. From that day she vowed to wear a red poppy of Flanders Fields as a sign of remembrance.

We Shall Keep the Faith

by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

This is the rather magnificent Buchan Ness Lighthouse just outside Peterhead – it was late in the day and the light was about to fade I was searching around the lighthouse to see if I could get anything of interest with the remaining light and I was spawny enough to get a brief sunburst to make the lighthouse stand out strong against the dark sky. There are other lighthouses available in this series all are for sale just follow the link

This is a must share for all steam train enthusiasts – “The Lord of the Isles” 62005 cooling down after hard days works – steam can still be observed coming from the boiler, the sun is clearly dropping over my right shoulder as the shadow is cast across the engine I have to admit I thought the smell as she cooled was wonderful. It was a perfectly calm evening blues skys – honestly does it get any better. Definitely one of the highlights of the year and my employers were paying the fuel. Hell I love being a semi professional semi retired photographer.